Don’t Call It a Murse: Pharrell Williams on the Launch of His Moynat Bag Collaboration at DSM

Pharrell Williams is a man who wears many hats, both literally and figuratively. The musician and style savant just celebrated his collection with Adidas last night in Los Angeles and his latest creations—a series of resin bags and zip leather pouches made in partnership with Moynat—have launched at Dover Street Market New York with a special installation. “It’s kind of a dream, like going to a flea market and having the best ideas ever by designers,” he says. “If we’re lucky enough, we’ll get one in Miami. I’ve been begging!”

It certainly didn’t take much for Williams to persuade Moynat’s designer Ramesh Nair of his vision, a locomotive-themed bag collection partly inspired by the Hollywood classic The Harvey Girls, in which Judy Garland takes a wild train ride through the American West. “Metaphorically, when you think about it, a train is a lot like a bag,” Williams says. “Its contents tell you about the people in the train, and where they’re headed tells you about those people. The contents of your bag tells you who you are and where you’re headed too.”

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Photo: Courtesy of Moynat

And given his penchant for It bags—including one now-legendary purple crocodile Hermès Haut à Courroies—it’s hardly surprising that he chose to go in a luxurious direction for his first leather goods collaboration. The storied French trunk makers have a history of craftsmanship dating back to the 1800s, and Williams’s hand-sculpted wood and resin pieces have caught the eye of fellow accessories fanatics like Beyoncé, who was recently spotted carrying one out on the town in London. So where does Pharrell Williams stand on the great murse debate? “I don’t acknowledge that term,” he says. “Call it what you want. A bag is a bag.” And on Williams, clearly, it’s a chic one.